Management system

ABSTRACT

A management system includes a position detection unit which obtains a position of a work machine, a posture detection unit which obtains a posture of the work machine, an object detection unit which obtains a three-dimensional shape of a buried object, a position calculation unit which obtains a position of the buried object by using the position of the work machine obtained by the position detection unit, the posture of the work machine obtained by the posture detection unit, and the three-dimensional shape of the buried object obtained by the object detection unit, and an information acquisition unit which acquires buried object information including at least the position of the buried object obtained by the position calculation unit.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a management system for managing aposition of a buried object buried in the ground.

BACKGROUND

There are work machines having imaging devices. Patent Literature 1discloses a technique of generating a construction plan image data onthe basis of a construction plan data stored in a storage unit andposition information of a stereo camera, superposing the constructionplan image data and a current state image data imaged by the stereocamera, and three-dimensionally displaying a superimposed synthesizedimage on a three-dimensional display device.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No.2013-036243

SUMMARY Technical Problem

When a work machine constructs an object, a work of digging earth may beperformed. In a case where there is a buried object buried in theground, if the work is proceeded without knowing the existence of theburied objects, there is a possibility that the work machine may damagethe buried objects. For this reason, it is desirable to acquire inadvance information (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as buriedobject information) including at least the position of the buriedobject. Since the buried object information is obtained by an operatormeasuring, a burden of work for obtaining the buried object informationis increased.

It is an object of the present invention to realize at least one ofreducing a burden of work for obtaining buried object information andreducing a possibility of damage to a buried object under construction.

Solution to Problem

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a managementsystem comprises: a position detection unit configured to obtain aposition of a work machine; a posture detection unit configured toobtain a posture of the work machine; an object detection unitconfigured to obtain a three-dimensional shape of a buried object; aposition calculation unit configured to obtain a position of the buriedobject by using the position of the work machine obtained by theposition detection unit, the posture of the work machine obtained by theposture detection unit, and the three-dimensional shape of the buriedobject obtained by the object detection unit; and an informationacquisition unit configured to acquire buried object informationincluding at least the position of the buried object obtained by theposition calculation unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the managementsystem according to the first aspect, wherein the object detection unithas a stereo camera which is attached to the work machine and includesat least a pair of imaging devices, and wherein the management systemfurther comprises an identifier assignment unit configured to assign anidentifier to an image of the buried object imaged by the imagingdevice.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a managementsystem comprises: a position detection unit configured to obtain aposition of a work machine; a posture detection unit configured toobtain a posture of the work machine; a work equipment positiondetection unit configured to obtain a position of at least a portion ofa work equipment included in the work machine; a position calculationunit configured to obtain a position of a buried object by using theposition of the work machine obtained by the position detection unit,the posture of the work machine obtained by the posture detection unit,and the position of the portion of the work equipment detected by thework equipment position detection unit; and an information acquisitionunit configured to acquire buried object information including at leastthe position of the buried object obtained by the position calculationunit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the managementsystem according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein theburied object information further includes at least one of a size of theburied object, a type of the buried object, and a date at which theburied object information is obtained.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the managementsystem according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, furthercomprises a storage device configured to store the buried objectinformation.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a managementsystem comprises: a position detection unit configured to obtain aposition of a work machine; at least one imaging device configured toimage a buried object; and an information acquisition unit configured toacquire an image of the buried object obtained by the imaging device,wherein the information acquisition unit is configured to add, to theimage of the buried object, an identifier indicating that the buriedobject is included in the image and a position and a date of the workmachine at a time when the image of the buried object is captured and isconfigured to store resultant data.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible torealize at least one of reducing the burden of work for obtaining buriedobject information and reducing a possibility of damage to a buriedobject under construction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an excavator according to afirst embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vicinity of a cab of the excavatoraccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a shape measurement system and amanagement system according to first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configurationof various electronic devices included in an excavator and a managementdevice.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing shape information obtained by theshape measurement system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which a buriedobject is installed in a hole.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an example of a distance image of a buriedobject imaged by a pair of imaging devices.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a database of buriedobjects including buried object information.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process example of a managementmethod according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another process example of themanagement method according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of measuring a position ofa buried object by using a work equipment in a second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detected imageaccording to a third embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Modes (embodiments) for carrying out the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment Overall Structure of Excavator

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an excavator 1 according to afirst embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vicinity of a cab ofthe excavator 1 according to the first embodiment. The excavator 1 as awork machine includes a vehicle body 1B and a work equipment 2. Thevehicle body 1B includes a swing body 3, a cab 4, and a traveling body5. The swing body 3 is mounted so as to be swingable on the travelingbody 5 around the swing center axis Zr. The swing body 3 accommodatesdevices such as a hydraulic pump and an engine.

The swing body 3 is swung with the work equipment 2 attached thereto. Ahandrail 9 is attached to an upper portion of the swing body 3. Antennas21 and 22 are attached to the handrail 9. The antennas 21 and 22 areantennas for global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, GNSS is a globalnavigation satellite system). The antennas 21 and 22 are arranged to beseparated from each other by a certain distance along a directionparallel to the Ym axis of the vehicle body coordinate system (Xm, Ym,Zm). The antennas 21 and 22 receive GNSS radio waves and output signalscorresponding to the received GNSS radio waves. The antennas 21 and 22may be global positioning system (GPS) antennas.

The cab 4 is mounted on the front portion of the swing body 3. Acommunication antenna 25A is attached to the roof of the cab 4. Thetraveling body 5 has crawler belts 5 a and 5 b. As the crawler belts 5 aand 5 b rotate, the excavator 1 travels.

The work equipment 2 is attached to the front portion of the vehiclebody 1B. The work equipment 2 has a boom 6, an arm 7, a bucket 8 as awork tool, a boom cylinder 10, an arm cylinder 11, and a bucket cylinder12. In the embodiment, the front side of the vehicle body 1B is thedirection side from a backrest 4SS of a cab 4S toward an operatingdevice 35 illustrated in FIG. 2. The rear side of the vehicle body 1B isthe direction side from the operating device 35 toward the backrest 4SSof the cab 4S. The front portion of the vehicle body 1B is a portion onthe front side of the vehicle body 1B and is a portion on the oppositeside of the counterweight WT of the vehicle body 1B. The operatingdevice 35 is a device for operating the work equipment 2 and the swingbody 3 and has a right side lever 35R and a left side lever 35L.

The boom cylinder 10, the arm cylinder 11, and the bucket cylinder 12illustrated in FIG. 1 are hydraulic cylinders driven by a pressure ofhydraulic oil, that is, a hydraulic pressure. The boom cylinder 10drives the boom 6 by expanding and contracting by the hydraulicpressure. The arm cylinder 11 drives the arm 7 by expanding andcontracting by the hydraulic pressure. The bucket cylinder 12 drives thebucket 8 by expanding and contracting by the hydraulic pressure.

The bucket 8 has a plurality of blades 8B. The plurality of blades 8B isaligned in the width direction of the bucket 8. The tip of the blade 8Bis a cutting edge 8BT. The bucket 8 is an example of a work tool. Thework tool is not limited to the bucket 8.

The swing body 3 has a position detection device 23 which is an exampleof a position detection unit and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 24which is an example of a posture detection unit. The position detectiondevice 23 obtains the position of the excavator 1. More particularly,the position detection device 23 detects the current positions of theantennas 21 and 22 and the orientation of the swing body 3 in the globalcoordinate system (Xg, Yg, Zg) by using the signals acquired from theantennas 21 and 22 and outputs the current position and the orientation.The orientation of the swing body 3 represents the orientation of theswing body 3 in the global coordinate system. The orientation of theswing body 3 can be expressed by, for example, the forward-backwarddirection of the swing body 3 around the Zg axis of the globalcoordinate system. The azimuth angle is the rotation angle of thereference axis in the front-rear direction of the swing body 3 aroundthe Zg axis of the global coordinate system. The orientation of theswing body 3 is represented by the azimuth angle.

The IMU 24 obtains the posture of the excavator 1. The posture of theexcavator 1 is expressed by a roll angle θr, a pitch angle θp, and anazimuth angle θd. The roll angle θr, the pitch angle θp, and the azimuthangle θd of the excavator 1 are obtained from the acceleration and theangular velocity acting on the excavator 1. The IMU 24 detects theacceleration and the angular velocity acting on the IMU, that is, theacceleration and the angular velocity acting on the excavator 1 toobtain and output the roll angle θr, the pitch angle θp, and the azimuthangle θd of the excavator 1. In this manner, the IMU 24 obtains theposture of the excavator 1. A calculation unit may obtain the roll angleθr, the pitch angle θp, and the azimuth angle θd of the excavator 1 byusing the acceleration and the angular velocity detected by the IMU 24.In this case, the IMU 24 and the above-described calculation unit serveas a posture detection unit. The roll angle θr, the pitch angle θp, andthe azimuth angle θd of the excavator 1 may be obtained by devices, forexample, a gyroscope or the like other than the IMU 24.

Imaging Device

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the excavator 1 includes a plurality ofimaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d in the cab 4. In thefollowing description, in the case of not being distinguished from eachother, a plurality of imaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d isappropriately referred to as an imaging device 30. Among the pluralityof imaging devices 30, an imaging device 30 a and an imaging device 30 care arranged on the work equipment 2 side. The type of the imagingdevice 30 is not limited, but in the embodiment, for example, an imagingdevice including a couple charged device (CCD) image sensor or acomplementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor is used.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the imaging device 30 a and the imaging device30 b are arranged at predetermined intervals in the cab 4 in the samedirection or in different directions. The imaging device 30 c and theimaging device 30 d are arranged at predetermined intervals in the cab 4in the same direction or in different directions. Two of the pluralityof imaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d are combined to configurea stereo camera. In the embodiment, a stereo camera as a combination ofthe imaging devices 30 a and 30 b and a stereo camera as a combinationof the imaging devices 30 c and 30 d are configured.

In the embodiment, the imaging device 30 a and the imaging device 30 bface upward, and the imaging device 30 c and the imaging device 30 dface downward. At least the imaging device 30 a and the imaging device30 c are directed to the front of the excavator 1 and, in thisembodiment, the swing body 3. The imaging device 30 b and the imagingdevice 30 d may be arranged slightly toward the work equipment 2, thatis, toward the imaging device 30 a and the imaging device 30 c side.

In the embodiment, the excavator 1 includes the four imaging devices 30,but the number of imaging devices 30 that the excavator 1 includes maybe at least two, that is, at least one pair and is not limited to four.This is because the excavator 1 stereoscopically images the object byconfiguring a stereo camera with at least one pair of the imagingdevices 30.

The plurality of imaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d is arrangedin the front side and the upper side of the cab 4. The upper side is aside which is perpendicular to the ground contact plane of the crawlerbelts 5 a and 5 b of the excavator 1 and is apart from the groundcontact plane. The ground contact plane of the crawler belts 5 a and 5 bis a plane defined by at least three points which are not present on thesame straight line at the portion where at least one of the crawlerbelts 5 a and 5 b is in contact with the ground. The lower side is theside opposite to the upper side, that is, the side perpendicular to theground contact plane of the crawler belts 5 a and 5 b and directedtoward the ground contact plane.

The plurality of imaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 dstereoscopically images an object existing in the front side of thevehicle body 1B of the excavator 1. The object includes, for example, aportion to be constructed by the excavator 1 from now, anunder-construction portion, and an after-construction portion. In thefollowing, these portions are appropriately referred to as constructionobjects. In addition to the construction object of the excavator 1, theconstruction object may be a construction object of a work machine otherthan the excavator 1 or a construction object of a worker working at theconstruction site.

The plurality of imaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d detects theobject from a predetermined position of the excavator 1, that is, fromthe front side and the upper side in the cab 4 in the first embodiment.In the first embodiment, the object is three-dimensionally measured byusing at least the result of stereoscopically imaging by the pair ofimaging devices 30. The location where the plurality of imaging devices30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d is arranged is not limited to the front sideand the upper side in the cab 4.

Among the plurality of imaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d, forexample, the imaging device 30 c is set as a reference. Each of the fourimaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d has a coordinate system.These coordinate systems are appropriately referred to as imaging devicecoordinate systems. In FIG. 2, only the coordinate system (Xs, Ys, Zs)of the imaging device 30 c as a reference is illustrated. The origin ofthe imaging device coordinate system is, for example, the center of eachof the imaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d.

In the first embodiment, the imaging ranges of the imaging devices 30 a,30 b, 30 c, and 30 d are larger than the range that construction can beperformed by the work equipment 2 of the excavator 1. By doing in thismanner, each of the imaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d canreliably stereoscopically image the object within the range that thework equipment 2 can excavate.

The above-described vehicle body coordinate system (Xm, Ym, Zm) is acoordinate system with reference to an origin fixed to the vehicle body1B, that is, the swing body 3 in the first embodiment. In firstembodiment, the origin of the vehicle body coordinate system (Xm, Ym,Zm) is, for example, the center of the swing circle of the swing body 3.The center of the swing circle exists on the swing center axis Zr of theswing body 3. The Zm axis of the vehicle body coordinate system (Xm, Ym,Zm) is an axis that becomes the swing center axis Zr of the swing body3, and the Xm axis is an axis that extends in the forward-backwarddirection of the swing body 3 and is perpendicular to the Zm axis. TheXm axis is a reference axis in the forward-backward direction of theswing body 3. The Ym axis is an axis that extends in the width directionof the swing body 3 and is perpendicular to the Zm axis and the Xm axis.The vehicle body coordinate system is not limited to the example of thefirst embodiment. The above-mentioned global coordinate system (Xg, Yg,Zg) is a coordinate system measured by GNSS and is a coordinate systemwith reference to the origin fixed to the earth.

Shape Measurement System and Management System

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a shape measurement system 1S and amanagement system 100 according to the first embodiment. The deviceconfiguration of the shape measurement system 1S and the managementsystem 100 illustrated in FIG. 3 is merely an example and is not limitedto the device configuration of the first embodiment.

The shape measurement system 1S includes a plurality of imaging devices30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d and a detection processing device 51. Theshape measurement system 1S is provided in the vehicle body 1B of theexcavator 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 or in the swing body 3 in theembodiment. The excavator 1 includes a position detection device 23, anIMU 24, a communication device 25, an input device 52, a sensor controldevice 53, a position calculation device 54, a display device 55, and aconstruction management device 56 in addition to the shape measurementsystem 1S.

In the first embodiment, the detection processing device 51, the inputdevice 52, the sensor control device 53, the position calculation device54, the display device 55, the construction management device 56, theposition detection device 23, and the communication device 25 areconnected to a signal line 59 to communicate with each other. In thefirst embodiment, a communication standard using the signal line 59 iscontroller area network (CAN). However, the present invention is notlimited thereto. In the following description, the term “excavator 1”may refer to various electronic devices such as the detection processingdevice 51 and the input device 52 included in the excavator 1.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configurationof various electronic devices included in the excavator 1 and amanagement device 61. In the first embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4,each of the detection processing device 51, the input device 52, thesensor control device 53, the position calculation device 54, thedisplay device 55, the construction management device 56, the positiondetection device 23, and the communication device 25 which are variouselectronic devices included in the excavator 1, and the managementdevice 61 which is arranged outside the excavator 1 has a processingunit PR, a storage unit MR, and an input/output unit IO. The processingunit PR is realized by, for example, a processor such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU) and a memory.

As the storage unit MR, there may be used at least one of a nonvolatileor volatile semiconductor memory such as a random access memory (RAM), aread only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an erasable programmable readonly memory (EPROM), and an electrically erasable programmable read onlymemory (EEPROM), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, and a magneto-opticaldisk.

The input/output unit IO is an interface circuit which variouselectronic devices included in the excavator 1 or the management device61 use in order to transmit and receive data, signals, and the like toand from other electronic devices.

Various electronic devices included in the excavator 1 and themanagement device 61 store a computer program for realizing therespective functions in the processing unit PR in the storage unit MR.The processing unit PR realizes the function of each device by readingout and executing the above-mentioned computer program from the storageunit MR. The various electronic devices included in the excavator 1 andthe management device 61 may be realized with dedicated hardware, or therespective functions may be realized by cooperation of a plurality ofprocessing circuits. Next, various electronic devices included in theexcavator 1 will be described.

The detection processing device 51 of the shape measurement system 1Sperforms an imaging process in a stereo manner on a pair of imagescaptured by the pair of imaging devices 30 to obtain the position of theobject, more specifically, the coordinates of the object in thethree-dimensional coordinate system. In this manner, the detectionprocessing device 51 three-dimensionally measures the object by using apair of images obtained by imaging the same object with at least thepair of imaging devices 30. That is, at least one pair of the imagingdevice 30 and the detection processing device 51 three-dimensionallymeasure the object in a stereo manner. The imaging process in a stereomanner is a method of obtaining the distance to the object from twoimages obtained by observing the same object with two different imagingdevices 30. For example, the distance to the object is expressed as adistance image in which the information of the distance to the object isvisualized by shading. The distance image corresponds to the shapeinformation indicating the three-dimensional shape of the object.

The detection processing device 51 acquires information of the objectdetected, that is, imaged by at least the pair of imaging devices 30 andobtains the shape information indicating the three-dimensional shape ofthe object from the acquired information of the object. In the firstembodiment, the information of the object is generated by imaging theobject by at least the pair of the imaging devices 30, and theinformation of the object is output. The information of the object is animage of the object imaged by at least the pair of imaging devices 30.The detection processing device 51 obtains shape information byperforming an imaging process in a stereo manner on the image of theobject and outputs the shape information. In the embodiment, theconstruction object or the after-construction object of the excavator 1having at least the pair of imaging devices 30 is imaged by at least thepair of imaging devices 30. However, the construction object or theafter-construction object of another work machine 70 may be imaged by atleast the pair of imaging devices 30 included in the excavator 1.

In the first embodiment, the construction object or theafter-construction object may be the construction object or theafter-construction object of at least one of the excavator 1 having theimaging device 30, the other work machine 70, the work machine otherthan the excavator 1, and the worker.

The detection processing device 51 obtains the shape informationindicating the three-dimensional shape of the object by using theinformation of the object detected by at least the pair of imagingdevices 30 and outputs the shape information. More particularly, thedetection processing device 51 obtains the shape information byperforming an imaging process in a stereo manner on a pair of imagescaptured by at least the pair of imaging devices 30 and outputs theshape information.

In the first embodiment, the shape measurement system 1S corresponds toan object detection unit which obtains the three-dimensional shape ofthe object. That is, at least the pair of imaging devices 30 detects theinformation of the object, and the detection processing device 51generates the shape information indicating the three-dimensional shapeof the object by using the information of the object detected by atleast the pair of imaging devices 30 and outputs the shape information.

A hub 31 and an imaging switch 32 are connected to the detectionprocessing device 51. A plurality of imaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c,and 30 d is connected to the hub 31. The imaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30c, and 30 d and the detection processing device 51 may be connectedwithout using the hub 31. The result of detecting the object by theimaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d, that is, the result ofimaging the object is input to the detection processing device 51 viathe hub 31. In the embodiment, the detection processing device 51acquires the image of the object from the result of imaging by theimaging devices 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, and 30 d via the hub 31. In theembodiment, when the imaging switch 32 is operated, at least one pair ofimaging devices 30 images the object. The imaging switch 32 is installedin the vicinity of the operating device 35 in the cab 4 illustrated inFIG. 2. The installation location of the imaging switch 32 is notlimited thereto.

The input device 52 is a device for issuing commands to, transmittinginformation to, and changing settings of electronic devices such as theshape measurement system 1S, the sensor control device 53, and theposition calculation device 54. The input device 52 is, for example, akey, a pointing device, or a touch panel.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto. By providing atouch panel on a screen 55D of the display device 55 to be describedlater, the display device 55 may have an input function. In this case,the excavator 1 may not have the input device 52.

The sensor control device 53 is connected with sensors for detectinginformation on the state of the excavator 1 and information on the stateof the surroundings of the excavator 1. The sensor control device 53transforms the information acquired from the sensors into a format thatother electronic devices can handle and outputs the transformedinformation. The information on the state of the excavator 1 is, forexample, information on the posture of the excavator 1 and informationon the posture of the work equipment 2. In the example illustrated inFIG. 3, the IMU 24, a first angle detection unit 18A, a second angledetection unit 18B, and a third angle detection unit 18C are connectedto the sensor control device 53 as sensors that detect information onthe state of the excavator 1. However, the sensors are not limitedthereto.

In the first embodiment, the first angle detection unit 18A, the secondangle detection unit 18B, and the third angle detection unit 18C are,for example, stroke sensors. By detecting the stroke lengths of the boomcylinder 10, the arm cylinder 11, and the bucket cylinder 12, theseangle detection units indirectly detect the rotation angle of the boom 6with respect to the vehicle body 1B, the rotation angle of the arm 7with respect to the boom 6, and the rotation angle of the bucket 8 withrespect to the arm 7, respectively. The position of a portion of thework equipment 2 in the vehicle body coordinate system can be known fromthe rotation angle of the boom 6 with respect to the vehicle body 1B,the rotation angle of the arm 7 with respect to the boom 6, and therotation angle of the bucket 8 with respect to the arm 7 detected by thefirst angle detection unit 18A, the second angle detection unit 18B, andthe third angle detection unit 18C and the size of the work equipment 2.For example, the position of a portion of the work equipment 2 is, forexample, the position of the cutting edge 8BT of the bucket 8. The firstangle detection unit 18A, the second angle detection unit 18B, and thethird angle detection unit 18C may be potentiometers or inclinometersinstead of the stroke sensor.

For example, among the shape information obtained by the detectionprocessing device 51, the construction management device 56 collects atleast one of the shape information of the construction result of theconstruction that the excavator 1 performs on the construction objectand the shape information indicating a current state topography of theobject to be constructed from now by the excavator 1 and stores theshape information in a storage unit 56M. The construction managementdevice 56 transmits the shape information stored in the storage unit 56Mto the management device 61 or a mobile terminal device 64 via thecommunication device 25. The construction management device 56 transmitsthe shape information of the construction result stored in the storageunit 56M to the management device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64via the communication device 25. The construction management device 56may collect at least one of the shape information and the targetconstruction information obtained by the detection processing device 51and transmit the shape information and the target constructioninformation to the management device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64without storing the shape information and the target constructioninformation in the storage unit 56M. The storage unit 56M corresponds tothe storage unit MR illustrated in FIG. 4.

The construction management device 56 may be installed outside theexcavator 1, for example, in the management device 61. In this case, theconstruction management device 56 acquires at least one of the shapeinformation of the construction result from the excavator 1 via thecommunication device 25 and the shape information indicating the currentstate topography of the object to be constructed from now by theexcavator 1.

The construction result is, for example, shape information obtained byat least one pair of imaging devices 30 imaging the after-constructionobject and by the detection processing device 51 performing an imagingprocess in a stereo manner on the imaging result. Hereinafter, in orderto distinguish the shape information indicating the current statetopography of the object to be constructed from now by the excavator 1from the construction result, the shape information is appropriatelyreferred to as current state topography information. As described above,in some cases, the shape information may be the shape information of theobject that has been constructed by at least one of the excavator 1, theother work machine 70, and the worker; and in the other cases, the shapeinformation may be the shape information of the object that is to beconstructed from now by at least one of the excavator 1, the other workmachine 70, and the worker.

For example, the construction management device 56 collects theconstruction result after completion of the work of the day andtransmits the construction result to at least one of the managementdevice 61 and the mobile terminal device 64 or collects the constructionresults several times during the work of the day and transmits theconstruction results to at least one of the management device 61 and themobile terminal device 64. For example, before working in the morning,the construction management device 56 may transmit thebefore-construction shape information, that is, the current statetopography information to the management device 61 or the mobileterminal device 64.

The display device 55 displays information on the excavator 1 on ascreen 55D of a display such as a liquid crystal display panel ordisplays a guidance image for construction on the screen 55D. Inaddition to this, in the first embodiment, the display device 55 obtainsthe position of the work equipment 2, for example, the position of thecutting edge 8BT of the bucket 8.

The display device 55 acquires the current positions of the antennas 21and 22 detected by the position detection device 23, the rotation anglesdetected by the first angle detection unit 18A, the second angledetection unit 18B, and the third angle detection unit 18C, the size ofthe work equipment 2 stored in the storage unit MR, and the output dataof the IMU 24 and obtains the position of the cutting edge 8BT of thebucket 8 by using these data. In the first embodiment, the displaydevice 55 obtains the position of the cutting edge 8BT of the bucket 8,but the position of the cutting edge 8BT of the bucket 8 may be obtainedby a device other than the display device 55.

The communication device 25 is a communication unit according to thefirst embodiment. The communication device 25 communicates with at leastone of the management device 61 of a management facility 60, the otherwork machine 70, and the mobile terminal device 64 via a communicationline NTW and exchanges information with each other. Among theinformation exchanged by the communication device 25, as the informationto be transmitted from the excavator 1 to at least one of the managementdevice 61, the other work machine 70, and the mobile terminal device 64,there is the buried object information. The buried object information isinformation including at least the position of the buried object whichis an object buried in the ground. The position of the buried object isa three-dimensional position. The buried object information may betransmitted by the communication device 25 after being stored in thestorage unit of the detection processing device 51, the storage unit ofthe input device 52, or the storage unit 56M of the constructionmanagement device 56 or may be transmitted without being stored. Inaddition, the buried object information may include information on thetype or characteristic of the buried object. For example, the buriedobject information may be information indicating that a certain buriedobject is a water pipe.

In the first embodiment, the communication device 25 communicates bywireless communication. For this reason, the communication device 25 hasan antenna 25A for wireless communication. The mobile terminal device 64is, for example, carried by a manager who manages the work of theexcavator 1, but the mobile terminal device is not limited thereto. Theother work machine 70 has a function of communicating with at least oneof the excavator 1 and the management device 61. The communicationdevice 25 may communicate with at least one of the management device 61of the management facility 60, the other work machine 70, and the mobileterminal device 64 via wired communication so as to exchange informationwith each other.

The management system 100 includes the position detection device 23, theIMU 24, the shape measurement system 1S, and the position calculationdevice 54 of the excavator 1 and the management device 61 of themanagement facility 60. In the management facility 60, the managementdevice 61 and a communication device 62 are arranged. The managementdevice 61 communicates with at least the excavator 1 via thecommunication device 62 and the communication line NTW. The managementdevice 61 may communicate with the mobile terminal device 64 or maycommunicate with another work machine 70. A wireless communicationdevice may be mounted so that the excavator 1 and the other work machine70 can directly perform wireless communication. At least one of theexcavator 1 and the other work machine 70 may be equipped with anelectronic device capable of executing a process executed by themanagement device 61 or the like of the management facility 60. In thefirst embodiment, the electronic device capable of executing a processexecuted by the management device 61 or the like of the managementfacility 60 is the construction management device 56 of the excavator 1.

The management device 61 acquires at least the buried object informationfrom the excavator 1 and manages the position where the buried object isburied, the size of the buried object, the type of the buried object,and the like.

Imaging of Object and Generation of Shape Information

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating shape information obtained by the shapemeasurement system 1S according to the first embodiment. In the firstembodiment, the object OBP to be imaged by the shape measurement system1S is located in the front side of the excavator 1. The shapeinformation is obtained from the object OBP. As the object OBP, there isexemplified, for example, a buried object buried in the ground and aconstruction object of the excavator 1. In the case of generating theshape information from the object OBP, the shape measurement system 1Scauses at least one pair of the imaging devices 30 to image the objectOBP. In the first embodiment, when the operator of the excavator 1operates the imaging switch 32 illustrated in FIG. 3 to input an imaginginstruction to the detection processing device 51, the detectionprocessing device 51 causes at least one pair of imaging devices 30 toimage the object OBP.

The detection processing device 51 of the shape measurement system 1Sperforms an imaging process in a stereo manner on the image of theobject OBP captured by at least one pair of the imaging devices 30 toobtain the position information of the object OBP, that is, thethree-dimensional shape of the object OBP in the first embodiment. Sincethe three-dimensional shape of the object OBP obtained by the detectionprocessing device 51 is information in the coordinate system of theimaging device 30, the three-dimensional shape of the object OBP istransformed into position information in the global coordinate system.The position information of the object in the global coordinate system,for example, the object OBP is shape information. In the firstembodiment, the shape information is information including at least oneposition Pr (Xg, Yg, Zg) of the surface of the object OBP in the globalcoordinate system. The position Pr (Xg, Yg, Zg) is a coordinate in theglobal coordinate system and is three-dimensional position information.

The position calculation device 54 transforms the three-dimensionalshape of the object OBP obtained from the image captured by at least thepair of imaging devices 30, that is, the position represented bythree-dimensional coordinates into the position in the global coordinatesystem. The position of the surface of the object OBP includes theposition of the surface of the object OBP before, after, and underconstruction.

The detection processing device 51 outputs the three-dimensional shapeof the object OBP over the entire area of the object OBP imaged by atleast a pair of imaging devices 30. The three-dimensional shape of theobject OBP is output as the position Pr on the surface of the objectOBP. The position calculation device 54 which is a position calculationunit obtains the position Pr (Xg, Yg, Zg) of the object OBP in theglobal coordinate system by using the position of the excavator 1obtained by the position detection device 23 which is a positiondetection unit, the posture of the excavator 1 obtained by the IMU 24which is a posture detection unit, and the three-dimensional shape ofthe object OBP obtained by the shape measurement system 1S and outputsthe position Pr (Xg, Yg, Zg). That is, the position calculation unittransforms the position of the object OBP, that is, thethree-dimensional position in the first embodiment from the imagingdevice coordinate system into the position in the global coordinatesystem and outputs the position.

In obtaining the position Pr (Xg, Yg, Zg) in the global coordinatesystem, the position calculation device 54 transforms the position Ps(Xs, Ys, Zs) of the object OBP in the imaging device coordinate systeminto the position Pr (Xg, Yg, Zg) in the global coordinate system. Theposition Ps (Xs, Ys, Zs) of the object OBP in the imaging devicecoordinate system is obtained by at least the pair of imaging devices 30performing imaging and by the detection processing device 51 performingan imaging process in a stereo manner. The position calculation device54 executes transformation from the imaging device coordinate systeminto the global coordinate system by using the positions of the antennas21 and 22 of the excavator 1 in the global coordinate system obtained bythe position detection device 23 and the roll angle θr, the pitch angleθp, and the azimuth angle θd of the excavator 1 obtained by the IMU 24.

The object OBP detected by the shape measurement system 1S includes aportion to be constructed from now by the excavator 1 and a portionafter being constructed by the excavator 1. The portion after beingconstructed by the excavator 1 includes the buried object. The shapemeasurement system 1S and the position calculation device 54 obtain andoutput the position of the object in the global coordinate system by theabove-described method.

The position Pr (Xg, Yg, Zg) in the global coordinate system obtained bythe position calculation device 54 is, for example, stored in thestorage unit 56M of the construction management device 56, transmittedto the management device 61 via the communication device 25, ortransmitted to the mobile terminal device 64. The position Pr (Xg, Yg,Zg) transmitted to the management device 61 is stored in, for example, astorage unit 61M. The storage unit 61M corresponds to the storage unitMR illustrated in FIG. 4. In a case where the position Pr (Xg, Yg, Zg)is transmitted to the mobile terminal device 64, the data file may bestored in the storage unit of the mobile terminal device 64.

Management of Buried Object

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which theburied object TU is installed in a hole H. The buried object TU isinstalled in the hole H excavated by the excavator 1. As the buriedobject TU, there are exemplified pipes such as a water pipe, a gas pipe,and a drain pipe. Besides, various cables such as wires andcommunication lines are buried objects TU. The buried object TU is notlimited thereto, but generally, any objects buried in the ground may bethe buried object TU.

If the work is performed without knowing that the buried object TUexists in the ground at the time of constructing the object by theexcavator 1, there is a possibility of damage to the buried object TU.In order to check whether the buried object TU is buried as designed, itis necessary for the worker to measure the position, gradient, and thelike of the buried object TU. The measured position, gradient, and thelike of the buried object TU are managed as a database and used forchecking where the buried object TU is buried at the time ofconstruction. Even in a case where there is no worker, it is desirableto improve the work efficiency by measuring the position, gradient, andthe like of the buried object TU.

In the first embodiment, the management system 100 acquires the buriedobject information including at least the position Ptu (Xtu, Ytu, Ztu)of the buried object TU obtained by the position detection device 23,the IMU 24, the shape measurement system 1S, and the positioncalculation device 54. More particularly, the management device 61 ofthe management system 100 acquires the buried object information andstores the buried object information in the storage unit 61M. Since theburied object information includes the position Ptu (Xtu, Ytu, Ztu) ofthe buried object TU, the position Ptu (Xtu, Ytu, Ztu) of the buriedobject TU is obtained by referring to the buried object informationstored in the storage unit 61M.

For example, the management device 61 or the construction managementdevice 56 of the excavator 1 searches for the buried object informationstored in the storage unit 61M by using the position of the place to beconstructed from now by the excavator 1 as a key, so that it is possibleto grasp whether or not the buried object TU exists in the ground of theplace to be constructed from now. Since the position Ptu (Xtu, Ytu, Ztu)of the buried object TU included in the buried object information isthree-dimensional coordinates in the global coordinate system (Xg, Yg,Zg), the depth at which the buried object TU is buried is known byreferring to the buried object information. For example, the displaydevice 55 of the excavator 1 acquires the information indicating thatthe buried object TU is buried in the place to be constructed from nowand the position of the buried object TU from the management device 61or the construction management device 56 of the excavator 1 and displaysthe information and the position of the buried object TU on the screen55D.

Through this process, the operator of the excavator 1 can grasp theexistence of the buried object TU at the place to be constructed fromnow and the depth of the buried object TU. As a result, it is possibleto reduce a possibility of damage to the buried object TU caused byperforming the work without knowing that the buried object TU exists inthe ground. In addition, the buried object information is obtained fromthe three-dimensional shape of the buried object TU obtained by at leastthe pair of imaging devices 30 and the detection processing device 51three-dimensionally measuring the buried object TU in a stereo manner.Therefore, even in a case where there is no worker, since it is possibleto measure the position, gradient, and the like of the buried object TU,it is possible to improve the work efficiency. The gradient of theburied object TU is obtained as long as a plurality of positions of theburied object TU can be obtained.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the distance image PTtuof the buried object TU imaged by the pair of imaging devices 30. Thedistance image PTtu is a distance image indicating the distance from thepair of imaging devices 30 to the object obtained by the pair of imagingdevices 30 performing imaging and by the detection processing device 51performing an imaging process in a stereo manner. The distance image isa three-dimensional data. In the distance image PTtu, elements such asmeshes are provided at predetermined intervals. Each element includesinformation on the three-dimensional position in the imaging devicecoordinate system. The coordinate transformation of the distance imagePTtu is performed, so that the three-dimensional position of eachelement is transformed into a three-dimensional position in the globalcoordinate system.

The position of the buried object TU included in the buried objectinformation is a three-dimensional position included in the elementcorresponding to the buried object TU in the distance image PTtu. Thedistance image PTtu obtained from the image obtained by imaging theburied object TU includes the position information of the buried objectTU. That is, the distance image PTtu is obtained from the image obtainedby imaging the buried object TU, so that the three-dimensional positionof the buried object TU is obtained. By specifying the elementcorresponding to the buried object TU in the distance image PTtu, thethree-dimensional position of the buried object TU is specified. Theposition of the buried object TU may be the representative position ofthe buried object TU, may be the position of each element of the buriedobject TU, or may be the position of a portion of elements of the buriedobject TU. For example, if the buried object is any pipe as illustratedin FIG. 7, the position of the straight line passing through the centerof the pipe may be set as the position of the buried object TU.Alternatively, the upper end portion in the z direction of the pipe maybe set as the position of the pipe.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, in the distance image PTtu, the surroundingground is displayed besides the buried object TU. The elementcorresponding to the buried object TU may include the informationindicating that the element is a buried object, that is, the buriedobject information, and the element corresponding to the surroundingground may not include the buried object information.

The distance image includes the position Ptu of the buried object TU inthe element corresponding to the buried object TU. The position Ptu ofthe buried object TU is obtained from the coordinates of the buriedobject TU included in the element corresponding to the buried object TUin the distance image PTtu. Therefore, the buried object information mayinclude at least one of the distance image itself and the position Ptuof the buried object TU which has been extracted from the distanceimage.

In the first embodiment, the detection processing device 51 assigns anidentifier ID to the distance image PTtu of the buried object TU. Thatis, the detection processing device 51 corresponds to an identifierassignment unit. By assigning the identifier ID to the distance imagePTtu of the buried object TU, the distance image PTtu of the buriedobject TU is specified from a plurality of distance images PTtu obtainedby the imaging device 30 performing imaging and being subjected to animaging process in a stereo manner.

In the first embodiment, the position calculation device 54 may extractelements corresponding to the buried object TU from the distance imagePTtu of the buried object TU generated by the detection processingdevice 51 or the image before being processed by the detectionprocessing device 51 and may obtain the position and size of the buriedobject TU by using the extracted elements. The position calculationdevice 54 extracts the elements corresponding to the buried object TU byperforming an edge extraction process, a pattern recognition process, orthe like on the distance image PTtu of the buried object TU or the imagebefore being processed by the detection processing device 51. As thesize of the buried object TU, there is exemplified the diameter Du andthe length L of the buried object TU in a case where the buried objectTU is a pipe.

The position Ptu (Xtu, Ytu, Ztu) of the buried object TU obtained by theposition calculation device 54 is acquired by the constructionmanagement device 56. The construction management device 56 generatesthe buried object information including at least the position Ptu (Xtu,Ytu, Ztu) of the buried object TU and stores the buried objectinformation in the storage unit 56M or transmits the buried objectinformation to the management device 61 of the management facility 60via the communication device 25. The management device 61 stores theburied object information received from the construction managementdevice 56 of the excavator 1 in the storage unit 61M and generates adatabase of the buried objects TU. In this manner, the management device61 corresponds to an information acquisition unit which acquires theburied object information obtained by the construction management device56. In a case where the mobile terminal device 64 acquires the buriedobject information from the construction management device 56, themobile terminal device 64 corresponds to an information acquisitionunit. In a case where the construction management device 56 stores theburied object information in the storage unit 56M, the storage unit 56Mcorresponds to an information acquisition unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a database DB of theburied object TU including the buried object information IFd. Thedatabase DB is stored in, for example, the storage unit 61M of themanagement device 61. The database DB includes a plurality of pieces ofburied information IFd1, IFd2, . . . , IFdn. In the first embodiment,the buried object information IFd includes at least one of the positionPtu and the distance image PTtu of the buried object TU and furtherincludes the identifier ID, the type TY of the buried object TU, thesize Sz of the buried object TU, and the date DT at which the buriedobject information IFd is obtained. The buried object information IFdmay include at least one of the position Ptu and the distance image PTtuof the buried object TU and may further include the identifier ID, thetype TY of the buried object TU, and the like as additional information.The additional information is not limited to the identifier ID, the typeTY of the buried object TU, the size Sz of the buried object TU, and thedate DT at which the buried object information IFd is obtained.

In the first embodiment, the position calculation device 54 of theexcavator 1 automatically obtains the position Ptu of the buried objectTU. However, the management device 61 may automatically obtain theposition Ptu of the buried object TU. In this case, the managementdevice 61 extracts the elements corresponding to the buried object TUfrom the distance image PTtu included in the buried object informationIFd and obtains the position Ptu of the buried object TU from theposition of each element. In addition, the mobile terminal device 64 mayextract the elements corresponding to the buried object TU from thedistance image PTtu included in the buried object information IFd andobtain the position Ptu of the buried object TU from the position ofeach element.

The position Ptu of the buried object TU may be obtained by the operatorof the management device 61 designating the buried object TU existing inthe distance image PTtu of the buried object TU or the image beforebeing processed by the detection processing device 51. Moreparticularly, the operator of the management device 61 designates theburied object TU existing in the distance image PTtu of the buriedobject TU or the image before being processed by the detectionprocessing device 51. The management device 61 obtains the position Ptuof the buried object TU from the elements existing in the designatedrange. The management device 61 writes the obtained position Ptu of theburied object TU into the database DB.

The construction management device 56 of the excavator 1 transmits atleast one of the position Ptu and the distance image PTtu of the buriedobject TU as the buried object information IFd to the management device61 or the mobile terminal device 64. In addition, the constructionmanagement device 56 may further transmit the identifier ID, the type TYof the buried object TU, the size Sz of the buried object TU, and thedate DT at which the buried object information IFd is obtained to themanagement device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64. In addition, theconstruction management device 56 may transmit the distance image PTtuof the buried object TU as the buried object information IFd to themanagement device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64, and themanagement device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64 may obtain theposition Ptu of the buried object TU, the type TY of the buried objectTU, and the size Sz of the buried object TU from the distance imagePTtu. In this case, when transmitting the buried object information IFd,the construction management device 56 may add, to the buried objectinformation IFd, the date at which the distance image PTtu is obtainedand the identifier ID and transmit the date and the identifier ID. Inaddition, the management device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64 setsthe timing of receiving the distance image PTtu of the buried object TUfrom the construction management device 56 as the date DT at which theburied object information IFd is obtained and assigns the identifier IDto the received distance image PTtu.

The database DB is updated every time the management device 61 receivesthe buried object information IFd transmitted from the plurality ofexcavators 1. The excavator 1, more particularly, the constructionmanagement device 56 accesses the management device 61 to acquire theburied object information IFd before construction, so that it ispossible to determine whether a buried object TU exists in the place tobe constructed or, in a case where the buried object TU exists, it ispossible to determine to what extent of the depth the buried object TUexists. More particularly, if the buried object information IFd has theidentifier ID or the type TY of the buried object TU and the positionPtu or the distance image PTtu of the buried object TU, it is possibleto determine from the buried object information IFd where the buriedobject TU exists. Another work machine 70 which is a work machine otherthan the excavator 1 which stores the buried object information IFd inthe storage unit 56M of the construction management device 56 accessesthe management device 61 before construction, so that it is possible toacquire the buried object information IFd. In addition, the shapemeasurement system 1S included in the excavator 1 measures the buriedobject TU at a plurality of construction sites, so that it is possibleto acquire the buried object information IFd at the plurality ofconstruction sites.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process example of a managementmethod according to the first embodiment. This management method isexecuted at the time of obtaining the buried object information IFd. Instep S101, the position calculation device 54 of the excavator 1 obtainsthe position of the buried object TU by using the detection values ofthe shape measurement system 1S, the position detection device 23, andthe IMU 24.

As described above, the distance image PTtu including the buried objectTU includes the position Ptu of the buried object TU. For this reason,the position calculation device 54 obtains the position Ptu of theburied object TU in the global coordinate system, that is, thethree-dimensional position in the first embodiment by transforming thedistance image PTtu including the position Ptu of the buried object TUinto the global coordinate system. In addition to the above-describedcoordinate transformation, the position calculation device 54 mayextract the element corresponding to the buried object TU from thedistance image PTtu including the buried object TU and set thethree-dimensional position of the extracted element as the position Ptuof the buried object TU.

For example, the position calculation device 54 may extract an edge or acharacteristic portion of the buried object TU from the distance imagePTtu including the buried object TU and may set the three-dimensionalposition of the extracted edge or characteristic portion and the elementexisting inside the edge or characteristic portion as the position Ptuof buried object TU. In addition, the position calculation device 54 maydisplay, for example, the distance image PTtu on the screen 55D of thedisplay device 55 and may set the three-dimensional position of theelement existing in the range of the buried object TU designated by theoperator through the input device 52 as the position of the buriedobject TU. The element including the buried object TU may be extractedfrom the distance image PTtu or may be extracted from the image beforebeing subjected to an imaging process in a stereo manner. If theposition Ptu of the buried object TU in the distance image PTtu isknown, the size Sz of the buried object TU can also be obtained.

The construction management device 56 generates the buried objectinformation IFd including the obtained position Ptu of the buried objectTU. In step S102, the management device 61 acquires the buried objectinformation IFd from the excavator 1 and stores the buried objectinformation in the storage unit 61M.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another process example of themanagement method according to the first embodiment. This managementmethod is for the case of using the buried object information IFd whenthe excavator 1 performs construction. First, the constructionmanagement device 56 of the excavator 1 causes the pair of imagingdevices 30 to image the construction object. The position calculationdevice 54 obtains the position of the construction object by using thedetection values of the shape measurement system 1S, the positiondetection device 23, and the IMU 24. In step S201, the constructionmanagement device 56 acquires the position of the construction objectobtained by the position calculation device 54.

In step S202, the position Ptu of the buried object TU is searched withthe position of the construction object obtained in step S201 as a key.More particularly, the construction management device 56 supplies theposition of the construction object obtained in step S201 to themanagement device 61. The management device 61 searches the database DBstored in the storage unit 61M by using the received position of theconstruction object as a key. In this case, by using the X and Ycoordinates of the position of the construction object as a key, thedatabase DB is searched. The management device 61 supplies the searchresult to the construction management device 56.

In a case where the construction management device 56 acquires, from themanagement device 61, the search result that the buried object TU isburied at the position of the construction object, in step S203, theconstruction management device 56 notifies the fact that the buriedobject TU exists at the position of the construction object on thedisplay device 55. In a case where the construction management device 56acquires, from the management device 61, the search result that theburied object TU is not buried at the position of the constructionobject, the construction management device 56 notifies the fact that noburied object TU exists at the position of the construction object onthe display device 55.

In the first embodiment, the detection processing device 51 realizes thethree-dimensional measurement by performing an imaging process in astereo manner on the image captured by the imaging device 30, However,the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the detectionprocessing device 51 may transmit the image captured by the imagingdevice 30 to the outside, and the external management device 61 or theexternal mobile terminal device 64 may execute an imaging process in astereo manner.

The work equipment 2 of the excavator 1 may be controlled on the basisof the buried object information IFd. For example, since the position atwhich the buried object TU is buried can be known from the buried objectinformation IFd, the work equipment 2 is controlled so as not to be incontact with the buried object TU. More particularly, descending of theboom 6 of the work equipment 2 is stopped on the basis of the distancebetween the cutting edge 8BT of the bucket 8 of the work equipment 2 andthe buried object TU so that the cutting edge 8BT of the bucket 8 is notin contact with the buried object TU.

In the first embodiment, the buried object information IFd istransmitted from the construction management device 56 to at least oneof the management device 61 and the mobile terminal device 64 via thecommunication device 25. However, the present invention is not limitedthereto. For example, the buried object information IFd may betransmitted through a storage device. In addition, the constructionmanagement device 56 and at least one of the management device 61 andthe mobile terminal device 64 may be connected with each other by wire,and the buried object information IFd may be transmitted to at least oneof the management device 61 and the mobile terminal device 64 via thiswire.

In the first embodiment, each element of the distance image PTtu istransformed into a position in the global coordinate system by theposition calculation device 54 of the excavator 1, so that thethree-dimensional position of the buried object TU in the globalcoordinate system can be obtained by the position calculation device 54.However, the transformation into the global coordinate system may beexecuted by a device other than the position calculation device 54. Forexample, the management device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64 mayperform the transformation into the global coordinate system to obtainthe three-dimensional position of the buried object TU. In this case,the management device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64 acquires thedistance image PTtu including the position of the imaging devicecoordinate system or the position of the vehicle body coordinate systemfrom the construction management device 56 and the detection values ofthe position detection device 23 and the IMU 24. In addition, themanagement device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64 may transform theposition included in each element of the distance image PTtu into theposition in the global coordinate system by using the acquiredinformation, extract the elements corresponding to the buried object TUfrom the distance image PTtu including the buried object TU, and set thethree-dimensional position of the extracted element as the position ofthe buried object TU. In this case, the management device 61 or themobile terminal device 64 realizes the function of the positioncalculation unit.

For example, the management device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64can extract an edge or a characteristic portion of the buried object TUfrom the distance image PTtu including the buried object TU and set thethree-dimensional position of the extracted edge or characteristicportion and the element existing inside the edge or characteristicportion as the position of the buried object TU. In addition, themanagement device 61 or the mobile terminal device 64 can also set, forexample, the three-dimensional position of the element existing in therange of the buried object TU designated by the operator as the positionof the buried object TU.

In the first embodiment, the shape measurement system 1S of theexcavator 1 may transmit, to the management device 61 or the mobileterminal device 64, an image (hereinafter, appropriately referred to asa before-processing image) of the buried object TU which has beencaptured by at least one imaging device 30 and has not been yetsubjected to an imaging process in a stereo manner without obtaining thedistance image PTtu, that is, without obtaining the three-dimensionalposition and information(hereinafter, appropriately referred to asimaging-time information) at the time when the before-processing imageis captured. The storage unit 61M of the management device 61 or thestorage unit of the mobile terminal device 64 acquires thebefore-processing image and stores the before-processing image with theimaging-time information added thereto. The storage unit 61M of themanagement device 61 or the storage unit of the mobile terminal device64 corresponds to an information acquisition unit.

The imaging-time information includes at least an identifier indicatingthat a buried object is included in the image, a position of theexcavator 1 at the time of imaging, and a date. The imaging-timeinformation may further include other information. The other informationis, for example, an identifier indicating a construction site, a postureof the excavator 1, and the like. The management device 61 or the mobileterminal device 64, which receives the image before being subjected toan imaging process in a stereo manner and the information when the imageis captured, obtains the distance image PTtu and the buried objectinformation IFd on the basis of the received image and information.

In the first embodiment, the object detection unit is a stereo cameraincluding at least the pair of imaging devices 30, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, the object detection unitmay be a laser scanner. The object detection unit may be mounted on adrone. In this case, the information of the buried object TU detected bythe object detection unit mounted on the drone is transmitted to, forexample, the shape measurement system 1S by communication.

In the first embodiment, the position calculation device 54 obtains theposition Ptu of the buried object TU, and the construction managementdevice 56 generates the buried object information IFd. However, thepresent invention is not limited thereto. The position Ptu of the buriedobject TU and the buried object information IFd may be obtained byanother electronic device included in the excavator 1 or may be obtainedby the management device 61 and the mobile terminal device 64.

In the first embodiment, the detection processing device 51 assigns theidentifier ID to the distance image PTtu of the buried object TU.However, the identifier ID may not be assigned to the distance imagePTtu. In the embodiment, the identifier ID may be assigned to the imagebefore being subjected to an imaging process in a stereo manner. In thiscase, another electronic device included in the excavator 1, themanagement device 61, or the mobile terminal device 64 may obtain theposition Ptu of the buried object TU by performing an imaging process ina stereo manner on the image before being subjected to the imagingprocess with the identifier ID assigned thereto.

In the first embodiment, the position of this buried object is obtainedby using the position of the work machine obtained by the positiondetection unit, the posture of the work machine obtained by the posturedetection unit, and the three-dimensional shape of the buried objectobtained by the object detection unit, and the buried object informationincluding the position of this buried object is acquired. Since theposition of the buried object buried in the ground can be known by theburied object information, it is possible to reduce the possibility ofdamage to the buried object under construction. In addition, in thefirst embodiment, the information for obtaining the position of theburied object is automatically detected by the position detection unitwhich obtains the position of the work machine, the posture detectionunit which obtains the posture of the work machine, and the objectdetection unit which obtains the three-dimensional shape of the object,and the position calculation unit automatically obtains the position ofthe buried object by using the detected information. For this reason,according to the first embodiment, the buried object information can beeasily obtained by the operation of the operator of the work machine. Asa result, in the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the burdenof the work of obtaining the buried object information, and the workerfor measuring the position of the buried object is unnecessary, so thatlabor saving of the work of obtaining the buried object information canbe realized. That is, in the first embodiment, it is possible to reducethe burden of work for obtaining the buried object information.

The configuration disclosed in the first embodiment can also beappropriately applied in the following embodiments.

Second Embodiment Measurement of Position of Buried Object TU by UsingWork Equipment 2

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of measuring the positionof the buried object TU by using the work equipment 2 in a secondembodiment. The excavator 1 according to the first embodiment obtainsthe position Ptu of the buried object TU by using the detection valuesof the shape measurement system 1S including at least a pair of imagingdevices 30, the position detection device 23, and the IMU 24. The secondembodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the positionof a portion of the work equipment 2 in a case where the portion of thework equipment 2 contacts the buried object TU is set as the position ofthe buried object TU, so that the position of the buried object TU isobtained.

In the second embodiment, the cutting edge 8BT of the blade 8B of thebucket 8 is used as a portion of the work equipment 2. The position Pb(Xb, Yb, Zb) where the cutting edge 8BT of the bucket 8 contacts theburied object TU is the position Ptu of the buried object TU. Theposition Pb (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the cutting edge 8BT of the blade 8B of thebucket 8 is obtained by the display device 55 as described in the firstembodiment. The display device 55 is a work equipment position detectionunit which obtains the position of at least a portion of the workequipment 2.

The position calculation device 54 obtains the position of the buriedobject TU by using the position of the excavator 1 obtained by theposition detection device 23, the posture of the excavator 1 obtained bythe IMU 24, and the position of a portion of the work equipment 2detected by the display device 55 in a case where a portion of the workequipment 2 contacts the buried object TU. In a case where the buriedobject TU is a pipe, the inclination of the buried object TU can beobtained from the first position Ptuf in the longitudinal direction ofthe buried object TU and the second position Ptus in a portion separatedby a predetermined distance from the first position Ptuf along thelongitudinal direction.

In the second embodiment, the position calculation device 54 obtains theposition of the cutting edge 8BT as the position Ptu of the buriedobject TU, and the construction management device 56 generates theburied object information IFd. However, the present invention is notlimited thereto. The position Ptu of the buried object TU and the buriedobject information IFd may be obtained by another electronic deviceincluded in the excavator 1 or may be obtained by the management device61 and the mobile terminal device 64. For example, the management device61 and the mobile terminal device 64 may acquire the current positionsof the antennas 21 and 22 detected by the position detection device 23,the rotation angle of the work equipment 2 detected by the first angledetection unit 18A and the like, the size of the work equipment 2, andthe output data of the IMU 24 to obtain the position of the cutting edge8BT.

The second embodiment exhibits the same functions and effects as thoseof the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, even ina case where the excavator 1 does not include the imaging device 30, ifthe excavator 1 includes the position detection device 23 and the IMU24, there is an advantage in that the position Ptu of the buried objectTU can be obtained.

Third Embodiment.

In the above-described embodiments, the operator of the managementdevice 61 or the operator of the excavator 1 obtains the position Ptu ofthe buried object TU by designating the buried object TU existing in thedistance image PTtu of the buried object TU or the image before beingprocessed by the detection processing device 51 by using the positioncalculation device 54 which is a position calculation unit. However, theposition Ptu of the buried object TU may be obtained by other methods.In addition, in a case where the operator of the management device 61designates the buried object TU, the position calculation device 54 mayexist in the management device 61.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by oneimaging device 30 before being processed by the detection processingdevice 51. The imaging device 30 corresponds to an object detection unitwhich detects a construction object around the excavator 1. For example,in a case where there exists an image which has been captured by oneimaging device 30 and has not been yet processed by the detectionprocessing device 51 as illustrated in FIG. 12, the detection processingdevice 51 can calculate the coordinate position in each pixel of theimage in FIG. 12 by performing stereo processing on the basis of theimage and another image (not illustrated) paired with the image.

In the third embodiment, it is stated that the position calculation unitexists in the management device 61. For example, the management device61 displays an image of the construction object captured by the imagingdevice 30 as illustrated in FIG. 12 on the display device which is anoutput unit connected to the input/output unit IO of the managementdevice 61. In the state where the image is displayed on the displaydevice, the operator of the management device 61 selects a predeterminedportion (point Tp) of the buried object TU in the image displayed on thedisplay device by using an input device (for example, a mouse) connectedto the input/output unit IO of the management device 61. A plurality ofpoints Tp may be selected. The management device 61 may obtain theposition of the point in the image on the basis of the image captured bythe imaging device 30 and the point Tp on the image selected by theinput device and may designate the position of the point as the positionPtu of the buried object TU. The point Tp selected in the image of theburied object TU may be selected at an arbitrary position in the buriedobject TU. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the point Tp may beselected at the upper end portion of the buried object TU.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 12, by selecting a plurality ofpoints Tp along the shape of the buried object TU, the management device61 may designate the position of the buried object TU and the overallshape on the basis of the selected plurality of points Tp. By selectingat least the points Tp at both ends of the buried object TU, themanagement device 61 can obtain the position of the buried object TU.

By selecting predetermined two points Tp of the buried object TU, themanagement device 61 may calculate and display the distance between thetwo points Tp on the basis of the position information of the two pointsTp. For example, in a case where the buried object TU has a pipe shape,by selecting both end portions of the buried pipe, the management device61 can calculate the total length L of the buried object TU. Inaddition, the management device 61 can calculate the gradient of theburied pipe on the basis of the positions of both end portions of theburied pipe. In addition, by selecting two points at both ends in thecross section of the buried pipe, the management device 61 can calculatethe pipe diameter Du of the buried pipe.

In the above description, the method of specifying the position Ptu ofthe buried object TU by using the image captured by one imaging device30 before being processed by the detection processing device 51 has beendescribed. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Forexample, the position Ptu of the buried object TU may be obtained bydisplaying the distance image PTtu or other three-dimensional shape data(such as point group data) on the display device and selecting a pointon the display data displayed on the display device. The image beforebeing processed by the detection processing device 51, the distanceimage PTtu, and the three-dimensional shape data are examples of adetected image detected by the object detection unit.

In addition, the display device may have an input function such as atouch panel, and a point of the detected image may be selected by theoperator's touching of the touch panel.

In addition, in the third embodiment, it is assumed that the positioncalculation unit is configured as the management device 61, and theoperation of selecting the position Ptu of the buried object TU isperformed by using the input device and the display device connected tothe management device 61. As in the above-described embodiments, theposition calculation unit may be the position calculation device 54 ofthe excavator 1 or may be the mobile terminal device 64. The operationof selecting the position Ptu of the buried object TU may be performedby using the input device 52 and the display device 55 of the excavator1. The display device in the input/output unit IO and the display device55 in the excavator 1 are examples of an output unit. In addition, theinput device in the input/output unit IO and the input device 52 in theexcavator 1 are examples of an input unit.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the management system100 may be a system including all the excavator 1, the managementfacility 60, the network NTW, and the mobile terminal device 64, may bea system closed to the excavator 1, may be a system closed to themanagement facility 60, or may be a system closed to the mobile terminaldevice 64.

Although the first, second, and third embodiments have been describedabove, the first, second, and third embodiments are not limited by thecontents described above. The above-mentioned components include thosewhich can easily be conceived by the skilled in the art, substantiallythe same ones, and so-called equivalents. The above-described componentscan be appropriately combined. At least one of various omissions,substitutions, and changes of the components can be made withoutdeparting from the spirits of the first and second embodiments.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1 EXCAVATOR-   1S SHAPE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM-   2 WORK EQUIPMENT-   8 BUCKET-   8BT CUTTING EDGE-   18A FIRST ANGLE DETECTION UNIT-   18B SECOND ANGLE DETECTION UNIT-   18C THIRD ANGLE DETECTION UNIT-   23 POSITION DETECTION DEVICE-   25A ANTENNA-   30, 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d IMAGING DEVICE-   32 IMAGING SWITCH-   51 DETECTION PROCESSING DEVICE-   52 INPUT DEVICE-   53 SENSOR CONTROL DEVICE-   54 POSITION CALCULATION DEVICE-   55 DISPLAY DEVICE-   56 CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT DEVICE-   56M STORAGE UNIT-   60 MANAGEMENT FACILITY-   61 MANAGEMENT DEVICE-   61M STORAGE UNIT-   64 MOBILE TERMINAL DEVICE-   100 MANAGEMENT SYSTEM-   IFd BURIED OBJECT INFORMATION-   TU BURIED OBJECTS

1. A management system comprising: a position detection unit configuredto obtain a position of a work machine; a posture detection unitconfigured to obtain a posture of the work machine; an object detectionunit configured to obtain a three-dimensional shape of a buried object;a position calculation unit configured to obtain a position of theburied object by using the position of the work machine obtained by theposition detection unit, the posture of the work machine obtained by theposture detection unit, and the three-dimensional shape of the buriedobject obtained by the object detection unit; and an informationacquisition unit configured to acquire buried object informationincluding at least the position of the buried object obtained by theposition calculation unit.
 2. The management system according to claim1, wherein the object detection unit has a stereo camera which isattached to the work machine and includes at least a pair of imagingdevices, and wherein the management system further comprises anidentifier assignment unit configured to assign an identifier to animage of the buried object imaged by the imaging device.
 3. A managementsystem comprising: a position detection unit configured to obtain aposition of a work machine; a posture detection unit configured toobtain a posture of the work machine; a work equipment positiondetection unit configured to obtain a position of at least a portion ofa work equipment included in the work machine; a position calculationunit configured to obtain a position of a buried object by using theposition of the work machine obtained by the position detection unit,the posture of the work machine obtained by the posture detection unit,and the position of the portion of the work equipment detected by thework equipment position detection unit; and an information acquisitionunit configured to acquire buried object information including at leastthe position of the buried object obtained by the position calculationunit.
 4. The management system according to claim 3, wherein the buriedobject information further includes at least one of a size of the buriedobject, a type of the buried object, and a date at which the buriedobject information is obtained.
 5. The management system according toclaim 3, further comprising a storage device configured to store theburied object information.
 6. A management system comprising: a positiondetection unit configured to obtain a position of a work machine; atleast one imaging device configured to image a buried object; and aninformation acquisition unit configured to acquire an image of theburied object obtained by the imaging device, wherein the informationacquisition unit is configured to add, to the image of the buriedobject, an identifier indicating that the buried object is included inthe image and a position and a date of the work machine at a time whenthe image of the buried object is captured and is configured to storeresultant data.
 7. A management system comprising: a position detectionunit configured to obtain a position of a work machine; a posturedetection unit configured to obtain a posture of the work machine; anobject detection unit configured to obtain a three-dimensional shape ofa buried object; an output unit configured to output a detected imagedetected by the object detection unit; an input unit configured toselect a position on the detected image output by the output unit; aposition calculation unit configured to obtain a point on the detectedimage selected by the input unit as a position of the buried object byusing the position of the work machine obtained by the positiondetection unit, the posture of the work machine obtained by the posturedetection unit, and the three-dimensional shape of the buried objectobtained by the object detection unit; and an information acquisitionunit configured to acquire buried object information including at leastthe position of the buried object obtained by the position calculationunit.
 8. A management system comprising: an output unit configured tooutput a detected image detected by an object detection unit configuredto detect a construction object around a work machine; an input unitconfigured to select a point on the detected image output by the outputunit; and a position calculation unit configured to obtain a position ofthe point in the detected image on the basis of the point on thedetected image selected by the input unit and configured to set theposition of the point as a position of the buried object.
 9. Themanagement system according to claim 1, wherein the buried objectinformation further includes at least one of a size of the buriedobject, a type of the buried object, and a date at which the buriedobject information is obtained.
 10. The management system according toclaim 1, further comprising a storage device configured to store theburied object information.